Miki's Stuff-Disclosures, Cookie Policy, GDPR Compliance

Friday, September 23, 2016

It is difficult to put into words how this novel affected me. Luckily for Ludwika she was not Jewish which had to be proved several times or her life would probably have been worse. Nazi Germany was not a very pleasant place to be if you were not totally German. Work camps were set up for non Germans and they were horrendous. She was a trusting soul-actually she had no choice. It seemed at every turn just when she thought all would be well--something else happened. How she kept her spirits up--I will never know.

Luckily for her there was always some kind soul who helped her out--until it did not suit their purposes.

What keeps going through my head is "if you don't remember history--you will repeat it". It kind of reminded me of what is going on in this country right now--I hope we all wake up!!

About the Book: (from Amazon)

It’s World War II and Ludwika Gierz, a young Polish woman, is forced to leave her family and go to Nazi Germany to work for an SS officer. There, she must walk a tightrope, learning to live as a second-class citizen in a world where one wrong word could spell disaster and every day could be her last. Based on real events, this is a story of hope amid despair, of love amid loss . . . ultimately, it’s one woman’s story of survival.
Editorial Review:

"This is the best kind of fiction—it’s based on the real life. Ludwika’s story highlights the magnitude of human suffering caused by WWII, transcending multiple generations and many nations.

WWII left no one unscarred, and Ludwika's life illustrates this tragic fact. But she also reminds us how bright the human spirit can shine when darkness falls in that unrelenting way it does during wartime.

This book was a roller coaster ride of action and emotion, skilfully told by Mr. Fischer, who brought something fresh and new to a topic about which thousands of stories have already been told."

Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he now lives in a small town in West Wales. He and his partner have three Labradoodles to complete their family.

Christoph worked for the British Film Institute, in Libraries, Museums and for an airline.

The Luck of The Weissensteiners’ was published in November 2012; 'Sebastian' in May 2013 and 'The Black Eagle Inn' in October 2013 - which completes his 'Three Nations Trilogy'. "Time to Let Go", his first contemporary work was published in May 2014, and “Conditions”, another contemporary novel, in October 2014. The sequel “Conditioned” was published in October 2015. His medical thriller "The Healer" was released in January 2015 and his second thriller “The Gamblers” in June 2015. He published two more historical novels “In Search of a Revolution” in March 2015 and “Ludwika” in December 2015.
He has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalisation.

My grandfather fought in World War II and has told us so many tragic but inspiring stories. Nazi Germany really was an awful place to be during WWII. Will add this book to my reading list. I really hope that in the end, everything worked out well for Ludwika.

My grandfather was a WWII vet and he helped to liberate some of the camps and he rarely talked about it except to say that it was not something that he could ever forget. It wasn't until I read about the atrocities that I understood why he had difficulty talking about it. This sounds like a good read and I will definitely check it out. Thanks for the review.

This time frame actually hits close to home for me. I father was born in Austria, and he managed to get out not long before Hitler came in. He moved to the US, where his father had already moved to (and remarried, since my father's mother died when he was young). He wasn't directly affected by the events of WWII, but friends and other family members still in Austria were.